


look at the stars (look how they shine for you)

by toocoldforyouhere



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fair, Falling In Love, Ferris Wheel, First Date, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Lack of capitalization, M/M, Oops?, Strangers to Friends, artist!louis, no background on either character, subway station
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-03 23:33:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1759717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toocoldforyouhere/pseuds/toocoldforyouhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>louis can tell you that harry's favorite color is blue. he is eighteen years-old and he works at his mother's bakery from eight to eight. he loves playful arguments, but hates actual conflict. he was born on february first. he loves to sing, and he is damn good at it.</p>
<p>he loves to watch louis draw, memorizing the way his brow furrows, his lips purse, his eyes light up – all signs of easy concentration.</p>
<p>maybe harry is falling in love, too.</p>
<p>or the one where louis is a subway station artist who decides to take harry to the fair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	look at the stars (look how they shine for you)

**Author's Note:**

> this is a work of fiction. i don't own any of the characters mentioned in this story.
> 
> unbetaed, so all mistakes are mine.

look at the stars (look how they shine for you)

-

louis tomlinson knows that he is just a little strange. drawing random people in the subway could almost be considered creepy, but louis has a skilled hand and a broad fascination for all the interesting faces that go through the (subway) every day. they all have stories and louis likes to imagine them as he recreates their image on paper, picture perfect.

-

there's one person that louis sees everyday, twice a day. he is very tall, very pale, and always very tired looking. louis wonders about him more than anyone else he's ever seen at this station. he has about thirteen sketches of this one boy (man?) and louis thinks that maybe it's creepy, his fixation on this one person, but every time he gets a glimpse of the boy's face, he feels it's worth it.

-

a small and steady hand eases the pencil along the paper, smooth and careful lines flowing from the tip. an outline of a somewhat familiar face transforms white into white and gray. the pencil is set down and a new one is picked up. the tip is thicker and a darker shade of black. the hand runs the tip along the outline, adding detail, shading. the picture is not complete yet, but it is still beautiful.

-

the boy (man?) sits next to louis on louis' bench one day, his wide green eyes watching louis' hand move in quick, careful motions. the boy gasps when he sees the drawing being formed with that hand (it is a picture of a tired, old woman with eyes bluer than the darkening sky and distinguished wrinkles that hold novels).

“oh my god,” the boy breathes. “you're amazing.”

louis looks up in surprise, his own wide blues staring into the boy's with shock and an inkling of satisfaction.

“thanks,” he says quietly, a smile forming on his thin, pink lips. “i'm louis.”

“harry.”

a name to a face, a person to a picture.

-

louis comes to learn many things about harry, trivial things, little unimportant facts. he swears to god he isn't falling in love, but louis has always questioned the thought of an all-knowing deity, so it doesn't mean much.

-

louis can tell you that harry's favorite color is blue. he is eighteen years-old and he works at his mother's bakery from eight to eight| he loves playful arguments, but hates actual conflict. he was born on february first. he loves to sing, and he is damn good at it.

he loves to watch louis draw, memorizing the way his brow furrows, his lips purse, his eyes light up – all signs of easy concentration.

maybe harry is falling in love, too. 

-

“you've never been to a fair?” 

it's friday morning, a warm feeling in the june air. louis' eyes are wide, shocked. he doesn't have his sketchbook with him today, and he wouldn't even be at the station if it weren't for harry.

“no,” harry says, shaking his head. “have you?”

“of course i've been to a fair!” louis laughs, tilting his head back. his eyes crinkle up at the corners and it momentarily knocks harry's breath away. he wishes he could draw as well as louis, just so he could capture that look on his face (he also wishes he had a camera).

“well, aren't you special.” harry says with a grin.

“we're going to the fair tomorrow,” louis says, suddenly serious. “at noon. meet me here, at the bench.”

he gives harry no room or time to argue, though harry had no desire to anyway.

-

at noon on saturday, harry is there, at the bench, just like louis told him to be. louis rushes to the station, five minutes late, panting because he ran the whole way.

“come on, hazza,” he says with a grin, blue eyes twinkling. “let's go to the fair!”

-

harry's stomach is full of corn-dogs and funnel cakes and ice cream and cotton candy. his feet hurt and he is exhausted, but he is so damn happy that those things don't matter. louis is just ahead of him, a big stuffed bear in his left hand that harry one for him. it's nearing midnight, and louis is going to walk harry home. he is almost off the fairgrounds, but he stops abruptly, causing harry to run into him.

“we didn't go on the ferris wheel,” louis says, like it's one of the seven deadly sins or something. he turns on the balls of his feet and looks up at harry. “have you ever been on a ferris wheel?”

harry shakes his head slowly, smiling gently down at louis. the wonder in the smaller boy's eyes make harry laugh. he is happy to be here with louis, and he is so glad he decided to sit next to him that one day all those months ago.

“oh my god, harry!” louis exclaims. “we have to go, come on!” 

and then louis is running, the bear still clutched tightly in his hand, going towards the brightly-lit ferris wheel.

harry can't deny him this, despite how tired he feels. he chuckles and then runs right alongside louis.

(louis isn't falling in love, he swears) (harry swears he isn't falling in love, too)

(they are both liars)

-

louis is pressed against harry's side, a thick bar over their laps as the ferris wheel goes up ever so slowly. the bear is resting at their feet, and louis is babbling on and on about how awed harry will be once they reach the top.

“it's so fucking beautiful, haz, especially at night. you can see the whole city and the lights are shining and - ” louis stops talking when harry squeezes his hand and grins at him.

the car finally reaches a stop as it hits the top and louis nudges harry so he'll look out at the city. as expected, harry gasps in awe. the dark sky is lit up with thousands of stars and the lights of the city twinkle along with them.

“fuck, lou. it's beautiful.” harry whispers.

louis nods and smiles.

“hey, they say if you kiss someone on the top, you'll have good luck.” louis says. he doesn't think anyone actually says that, but he wants to kiss harrry so badly, with all the stars watching.

harry turns to him, nods his head. he leans close to louis, presses his plump lips against louis' thin ones. the car begins to move down, down, down, but the magic somehow lasts until the man who ushered the boys into the car ushers them out.

louis holds his bear protectively with one hand, his other tangled up with harry's.

“that was really fun,” harry says, squeezing louis' hand.

“yeah, it was. we'll have to do it again sometime.”

the night is coming to a close. harry and louis go their separate ways about a block from the still-busy fairgrounds.

louis thinks the stars were shining just for harry. harry thinks the stars were shining just for louis.

they both might be ready to admit that they are falling just a little bit in love.

-

three years later, louis gives harry a drawing of him on the ferris wheel, looking into the night sky with a beautiful awe in his eyes. harry adds it to his little collection of pictures louis has given him (which include the thirteen the man drew before he had a name to a face, a person to a picture).

three years later, harry proposes to louis, dropping to one knee asking, "marry me?"

they decided that the stars were shining for both of them.

(they were)

(also, they very eagerly admit that they are wholly and happily in love)

-

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! comments and kudos are much appreciated. xx


End file.
